At High Altitude Martial Arts, we believe Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the best sports your child can do. Our “Youth Yetis” program is designed to teach the fundamentals of BJJ to children of all ages and has been developed for many years by our head professor, Cody Donovan (a BJJ black-belt and former UFC fighter) and coaching staff. We have also worked in collaboration with parents and children who have been through the course to develop a curriculum that is tailored to the experiences of the children that come through our program. Youth Yetis classes teach incredibly valuable skills in self-defense and provides a source of some well needed exercise, as well as a strong emphasis on teaching abstract life skills like healthy communication skills, boundaries, consent, and friendship.
Communication
Our Youth BJJ program has a “mat chat” during every class where we discuss common conflicts that our students face and give them specific tools to resolve them. Our highly trained coaches walk the whole class through hypothetical situations and tell them exactly what to say and do should they find themselves in a similar situation. We always advocate for our students to speak for themselves and immediately tell someone to stop if that person is behaving in a way towards or around our students which makes them uncomfortable. If the situation continues or direct confrontation is unsafe or uncomfortable, we advocate for our students to remove themselves if possible or elevate the situation to a superior like a parent, teacher, or adult who may be able to stop any uncomfortable behavior. It is only at this point that we advise our students to state that if the uncomfortable behavior is physical in nature, they will defend themselves, but to use their BJJ skills only ever as a defense and means of escape. Through this process of de-escalation, we hope that our students are empowered to stand up for themselves and handle confrontations as they happen with minimal risk of physical harm to themselves or others and avoid any potential repercussions.
Self Defense
Whether it is friends at school, a neighbor, a family member, or a stranger, BJJ can help your child have confidence in their ability to defend themselves against a physical threat. While most conflicts can and should be solved in a non-violent manner, it is still important for your child to know how to protect themselves should they be put in that situation. At HAMA, we teach the fundamentals of BJJ in a kid-friendly way while also helping them practice defense to escape from the most common forms of physical confrontation such as being pushed, escaping a pin, and dodging a punch. It is incredibly beneficial for your child to experience these situations in a safe and controlled environment before they ever face them in the real world. By doing so, they develop the skills they need as well as the confidence to handle themselves if ever put in a situation that requires physical self-defense.
Boundaries and Consent
When we teach our children how to communicate, we also need to teach them when it is appropriate or necessary to use their communication skills. BJJ is a contact sport like many others but relies heavily upon strictly enforced boundaries and mutual consent between training partners. We teach all our students the importance of safe training through the establishment of boundaries. Our Youth BJJ program very explicitly outlines the kinds of behaviors that are safe and acceptable from trusted persons, behaviors that are only acceptable during training, and never acceptable regardless of context or person. Through the BJJ fundamentals and communication skills that our students are taught, they learn how to enforce their boundaries and learn when boundaries their boundaries or the boundaries of others are being crossed. Our emphasis on safe training also teaches important lessons about consent, as all students are expected to “respect the tap” and immediately separate from their training partner if their partner taps out for any reason. In BJJ and in real life, our students learn to always respect the wishes of those around us, to expect that same respect in return, and how to verbally or physically enforce our boundaries if that respect is not given.
For more information on the values that we emphasize with respect to safe training in our gym and during classes, please read our articles on How to be a Good Training Partner.
Friendship and Exercise
Last but not least, BJJ is a fantastic source of comradery and exercise for our students. The Youth Yetis program has separate classes for children ages 4-6 and 7-12, with the 7-12 class having an “advanced” option for those who have been training long enough and demonstrated the necessary maturity to move onto higher level BJJ skills. Regardless of age, size, strength, or experience, your child will be surrounded by other students similarly interested in learning BJJ. Our program also requires lots of group and partner drills that facilitate bonding and forming friendships between students. Many of our students are often seen running around before and after their classes, hanging out with one another or watching and learning from other classes.
All our youth classes begin with lots of warm up movements like running around, jumping, crawling on the floor, and stretching before we begin class. The children sit still for a few minutes at a time for instructions and “Mat Chat”, but every other moment is spent moving around as they practice their moves, drill with partners, and play fun BJJ-focused games. It is a very fun and unique form of exercise that changes with every class and is sure to keep your child entertained and exhausted.
